'THIS rnvmrnmiGmM mmm jQ>umnmTL. 



281 



and die, undei" treatment of skillful 

 physicians, we may expect some loss 

 in bees. 



There are some impossibilities in 

 bee-keeping, as well as in other call- 

 ings ; for instance, there was no gen- 

 eral yield of surplus last year, and the 

 cause seems to make bee-keepers dis- 

 agree. If I felt as confident of the 

 " why " of the death of the above-men- 

 tioned colony, with pleutj' of stores, as 

 of the honey dearth last year, I would 

 not hesitate to make an assertion, 

 though in doing so I could ofler no 

 known remed}-. 



Last fall, in placing the colonies in 

 the cellar, 8 were found too light to 

 winter safely. In February the cluster 

 was separated and a frame of honey 

 hung in, so that they could feed. 

 These colonies were among the best 

 when put out on April 3. I did the 

 same last jear, and experienced no 

 bad results. Some had the diarrhea in 

 the cellar, and smeared the hive front, 

 and when put out all spotted every- 

 thing that thi'j- could alight upon. 



Since putting the bees out, I have 

 examined every frame in each colony, 

 spacing close, according to Mr. J. E. 

 Pond's plan. I am convinced that 

 warmth and close spacing are essential 

 in quickly building up colonies in the 

 spring. 



I winter my bees with 8 frames in a 

 10-franie hive, occupying all the hive, 

 and leaving more space between the 

 combs in winter. I use the Lang- 

 stroth frame in Simplicity hives. It 

 may be more expensive to hang combs 

 of honey in the hives for winter stores 

 than syrup, yet the convenience is an 

 item not to be overlooked, and so far 

 it has been safe here. 



Our country is immense, climate 

 variable, and no man should lose his 

 judgment and follow advice regardless 

 of latitude. Think of it, ■' men of the 

 North," who are now sowing oats and 

 barley, our good E<litor already has 

 received a white clover blossom from 

 " the Sunnv South !" 

 Shiloh, 6., April 9, 1888. 



HISTORICAL. 



Sonietliing on Sectional Hives 

 used 30 Year§ Ago. 



WrllUn for the American Bee Juuj-nal 

 BY M. M. BALDHIDGE. 



Under date of Feb. 25, 1888, Chas. 

 Dadant sends me an extract copied 

 from one of my letters dated Feb. 13, 

 1888, which I reproduce as follows : 



"Who ever used a breeding-hive made 

 of two half brood-chambers, and ar- 

 ranged so as to divide the brood-nest 

 instantly into two equal parts horizon- 

 tally, to be used separatel}' or inter- 



changeably, and for the purposes as 

 set forth by friend Heddon ? There 

 is something here in manipulation, 

 which the Heddon hive, combined with 

 his instructions, enables us to do, that 

 seems both neiv and novel." 



Mr. D. then adds this to show me, I 

 presume, that the Jeatures &nA functions 

 of the Heddon hive are simply old 

 ideas, to-wit : " Please look at the 

 American Bee Journal for April 14, 

 1886, page 231 ; and, at the following 



engravings, which were published 30 

 years ago." 



To which I reply as follows : 

 The cuts you inclose, and which are 

 given above, represent a sectional hive 

 of three horizontal divisions, but I 

 have no means of knowing from what 

 they show, nor from what you say in 

 the American Bee Journal to which 

 you refer, the puijui.ics for which the 

 said hives arc made. The brood-cham- 

 ber of the new hive of Mr. Heddon is 

 also made of two or more horizontal 

 sections, but the best approved form 

 of his hive is made of only two half 

 brood-chambers lilled with close-fitting 

 and j'et movable frames, and arranged 

 and manipulated thus and so, through- 

 out, for special and very important 

 reasons. 



I certainly infer that one of the 

 sectional hives to which you direct my 

 attention, is simply provided with bars; 

 and, in the^ absence of any proof to the 

 contrary, I assume the right to infer | 



that these hives were never used as 

 Heddon uses his, nor were they in- 

 tended for the same purposes. Hives 

 made of two or more horizontal seg- 

 ments are by no means new to me, as I 

 have seen a few of such hives in actual 

 use, perhaps 25 or 30 years ago, but 

 they were of no special practical value, 

 and I presume nfine of them can now 

 be found in use ! But, notwithstand- 

 ing that fact, I have never seen a 

 breeding-hive made of simply two half 

 brood-chambers, and for the special 

 and very important reasons as set forth 

 by Mr. Heddon ; nor have I yet seen 

 any evidence that any one else has 

 ever seen or used such a hive prior to 

 Heddon's description, and his instruc- 

 tions for using the same. The great 

 trovible is, Heddon and other advocates 

 of his hive, are not intelligently under- 

 stood by the general reader, and per- 

 haps never will be ! But the same was 

 and still is true in regard to what con- 

 stitutes a Langstroth hive. There are 

 in fact, to-day even, but few who in- 

 telligently understand the special fea- 

 tures and functions which were the 

 sole property of Mr. Langstroth, as 

 covered by the re-issue of his patent. 



My motto is, and always has been, 

 " Honor to whom honor is due." I 

 alwaj's try, however, to hold myself 

 open to conviction, and when I am 

 convinced that I have been in error, I 

 will cheerfully admit it. All I want is 

 simply the truth, no matter how, nor 

 from whence it comes. 



St. Charles, Ills. 



SPRING WORK. 



Some of the Tilings IVecessary to 

 be Done in Spring. 



Written for the Western Plowman 

 BY C. H. DIBBERN. 



It is wonderful how much can be 

 written and learned about the bees. 

 Week after week and month after 

 month, and one year after anothei', 

 papers, journals, and magazines are 

 printed, and great books are written, 

 all devoted to this one subject, and 

 yet it is not exhausted. Indeed, the 

 more we see, hear and learn in this 

 department of study, the mcjre we are 

 surprised at how little we reallj- know. 

 One would think in reading the bee- 

 periodicals, there would be much rep- 

 etition, and that they would become 

 verj- dry reading, but it is not so. The 

 American Bee Journal, and other 

 bee-papers, are our most welcome visi- 

 tors. We are always sure to find 

 something new, if not rich and spicy 

 in them, and they are seldom laid 

 down till the last article is read. Then 

 there is something to think about for 

 days after, and nights, too. Some one 



